Hit Pick

Though Kristina Ingham, Friday, September 29, at the Soiled Dove, has got the crunchy good looks of many a Boulder-based female folkie, she's hardly content to stand at the edge of the stage and strum away on ballads all night. Ingham got her singing start on the evangelist circuit in Texas years ago; today, however, she's more influenced by contemporary rock than hymnals. While strains of VH1-esque artists like the Pretenders, U2, the Police and Joni Mitchell are evident in her sound, it's a “Hollywood Boulevard”-era Sheryl Crow with whom Ingham has the most in common — bountiful curls and all — as she sings about love, the struggles and the joys of living in an open and celebratory way. Ingham, who's currently recording her debut CD, writes lyrics that can be as captivating as her hard-strumming, melodic guitar playing. In a live setting, her own playing is often augmented by that of drummer Brian Nevin of Big Head Todd-fame and guitarist Todd Ayers of Antelope. Ingham opens Friday's show for Stranger Neighbor and MindGoFlip. We suspect she won't be a stranger for long.